SUMMER GOODMAN NEVER KNEW WHAT hit her. That’s because it was me, and as soon as I collided with her in the hallway—scattering every one of her perfectly indexed index cards—I disappeared into the mob of kids who’d arrived to help realphabetize her life.

I love Summer Goodman but she barely knows I exist, which I’m pretty okay with because when you love someone, they don’t have to do anything—and Summer does nothing, so I think it’s all going to work out great.

One possible problem is, I’ve never actually spoken to Summer, except the time I said “sorry,” which was after I sneezed on the back of her neck the first day in science class.

It was a really wet one—and she didn’t sneeze back on me or have me suspended, so that’s just another reason I think she’s so great.

What isn’t so great is that I’m the “new kid” again, which isn’t as bad as it sounds unless you think about how awful it is. That’s why I put all my focus on the more important stuff, like Summer Goodman and how my germs have actually bonded directly onto her skin!

The way I see it, surviving this year is all I have to do. Start to finish in one whole piece and then I win. Of course, being me, winning doesn’t come easy, which is why I created an alias, a supercool guy who will step in when I mess up or can’t talk or both.

Dabney St. Claire is mysterious, smart, and popular without even trying. I talk to him out loud sometimes, but mostly he’s just in my head, along for the ride, telling me how he’d do what I’m doing, only without doing it so wrong.

My sister thinks there’s something the matter with me, which is why she tells her friends I have a metal plate in my head, which would actually be a cool thing because then I would never have to fly on airplanes because my skull would set off alarms. Her friends always look at me with sad puppy-dog eyes, and even though I don’t have a metal plate or even a paper plate in my head, I stare back at them and speak my favorite language: SAPTOGEMIXLIKS.

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gesundheit

SUMMER GOODMAN NEVER KNEW WHAT hit her. That’s because it was me, and as soon as I collided with her in the hallway—scattering every one of her perfectly indexed index cards—I disappeared into the mob of kids who’d arrived to help realphabetize her life.

I love Summer Goodman but she barely knows I exist, which I’m pretty okay with because when you love someone, they don’t have to do anything—and Summer does nothing, so I think it’s all going to work out great.

One possible problem is, I’ve never actually spoken to Summer, except the time I said “sorry,” which was after I sneezed on the back of her neck the first day in science class.

It was a really wet one—and she didn’t sneeze back on me or have me suspended, so that’s just another reason I think she’s so great.

What isn’t so great is that I’m the “new kid” again, which isn’t as bad as it sounds unless you think about how awful it is. That’s why I put all my focus on the more important stuff, like Summer Goodman and how my germs have actually bonded directly onto her skin!

The way I see it, surviving this year is all I have to do. Start to finish in one whole piece and then I win. Of course, being me, winning doesn’t come easy, which is why I created an alias, a supercool guy who will step in when I mess up or can’t talk or both.

Dabney St. Claire is mysterious, smart, and popular without even trying. I talk to him out loud sometimes, but mostly he’s just in my head, along for the ride, telling me how he’d do what I’m doing, only without doing it so wrong.

My sister thinks there’s something the matter with me, which is why she tells her friends I have a metal plate in my head, which would actually be a cool thing because then I would never have to fly on airplanes because my skull would set off alarms. Her friends always look at me with sad puppy-dog eyes, and even though I don’t have a metal plate or even a paper plate in my head, I stare back at them and speak my favorite language: SAPTOGEMIXLIKS.

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Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

Milo

Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

MILO is the funny and poignant story, told through text and cartoons, of a 13-year-old boy’s struggle to come to terms with the loss that hit the reset button on his life. Loveable geek Milo Cruikshank finds reasons for frustration at every turn, like people who carve Halloween pumpkins way too soon (the pumpkins just rot and get lopsided) or the fact that the girl of his dreams, Summer, barely acknowledges his existence while next-door neighbor Hilary won't leave him alone. The truth is – ever since Milo's mother died nothing has gone right. Now, instead of the kitchen being full of music, his whole house has been filled with Fog. Nothing’s the same. Not his Dad. Not his sister. And definitely not him. In love with the girl he sneezed on the first day of school and best pals with Marshall, the “One Eyed Jack” of friends, Milo copes with being the new kid (again) as he struggles to survive a school year that is filled with reminders of what his life “used to be."

Alan Silberberg introduces LOVEABLE GEEK MILO

Praise

"Alan Silberberg has written an astounding illustrated novel that deals with the loss of a parent. Milo’s feelings are real and raw, and he’s busy coping with trying to be in 7th grade, while sorting out needing a parent who is no longer there. Alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, readers will effortlessly be drawn to Milo and his friends and family. This is not simply a book about losing a parent…it is a pitch perfect story of being in middle school, the push/pull of need and independence, and the story of a boy."

– Welcome to my Tweendom blog

"Alan Silberberg has written an astounding illustrated novel that deals with the loss of a parent. Milo’s feelings are real and raw, and he’s busy coping with trying to be in 7th grade, while sorting out needing a parent who is no longer there. Alternately hilarious and heartbreaking, readers will effortlessly be drawn to Milo and his friends and family. This is not simply a book about losing a parent…it is a pitch perfect story of being in middle school, the push/pull of need and independence, and the story of a boy."

– Welcome to my Tweendom blog

Read an Excerpt

Milo

Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze

By Alan Silberberg

Illustrated by: Alan Silberberg

Excerpts

Chapter 1

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Book Reviews

Reading Group Guide

1. Does your name grant you membership in the Cool Name Club? What does it mean, and who gave it to you? Do you think Milo is right that your name either sets you up for being popular or being considered a social outcast?

2. Milo talks about his dad being a “pod person” or having a “Dad” costume that he puts on for others and takes off when it’s just family. Do you know anyone who behaves very differently around different people? Why do you think people sometimes do that?

3. Nobody in Milo’s family knows how to cope with the loss of their mom/wife, and it takes years for Milo to get to a point where he can talk about it. Are there some topics that you can’t bear to talk about? Are there certain people you can talk to when you are hurting or feel sad, or are there other ways you express your feelings?

4. Despite his initial reluctance, Milo finds himself coming to trust and learn from both Hillary Alpert and Sylvia Poole. He can even pinpoint the moments when his first impressions proved incomplete or inaccurate. Have you ever formed a mistaken first impression of somebody that you later became friends with? What made you take a second look at that person?

5. As the story progresses, Milo, Marshall, and Hillary become better friends. What do you thin
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Behind the Book

Milo Behind the Book

Behind the Book: Milo: Sticky Notes & Brain Freeze by Alan Silberberg

In truth—I have been living this story for most of my life though it wasn’t until a few summers ago that Milo told me what to do: Tell my story. Make kids laugh. Tell it real.

I knew from my own experience that the story of childhood loss could include both sadness and laughter. My mother died when I was nine, and the hole left by that event became a defining moment in my life. When

About the Author

Alan Silberberg is a children’s TV and film writer who has worked for Disney and Nickelodeon, among other major companies. Originally from the Boston area, he lives with his family in Montreal, Canada.